The Borštnik Ring Jury

Silva Čušin

Dramatic actress. Upon graduating from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) of the University of Ljubljana, she became a member of the Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana in 1985. She is one of the most remarkable actresses of the mid-generation; her talent and refined sensitivity have been proven both through a comprehensive opus of theatrical, film, and television roles and with numerous awards, among them the highest award for an actor in Slovenia – the Borštnik Ring (2007). Her acting power is especially evident in the versatility of her roles: the vast scope of her repertoire, ranging from inspiring interpretations of leading characters in plays by Slovenian authors, with an innovative approach to classical plays and modern dramatic texts, to impressive singing roles as well as comic characters, shaped with discreet humour.

Jernej Lorenci

Theatre director and pedagogue. He directed his first productions already in high school, as part of Maribor Dead Theatre. He studied theatre directing at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana. In 1999 he graduated with the production of Sophocles’s Antigone, which he directed in 1996. In 1997 he co-founded the Theatre School of the First Grammar School in Maribor. Upon graduating from AGRFT, he acquired his directorial experience in theatres in Slovenia and abroad. He was artistic director of Ptuj City Theatre. In 2006 he began teaching at AGRFT in the Department of Theatre and Radio Directing, first as assistant, and the following year as assistant professor. He has won numerous prizes at home and abroad for his directorial work.

Dušan Mlakar

Theatre director and pedagogue. Upon graduating from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana he was manager and artistic director at Mladinsko Theatre in Ljubljana and subsequently artistic director at Primorsko Drama Theatre in Nova Gorica (PDG). In 1984 he began teaching Theatre Directing and Acting at AGRFT. He has directed in all of the Slovenian theatres as well as abroad. His extensive opus ranges from the first stagings of Slovenian plays to productions of world classic dramatic literature and contemporary playwriting. He has also directed for radio and television, carried out several live TV broadcasts of his own productions, and directed and written a short film. His directorial work has been acknowledged through the Prešeren Foundation Award for theatre directing, several Borštnik Awards, the International award Alpe-Adria as well as other recognitions.

Alja Predan

Dramaturg, translator, and theatre expert. Among other positions she has held, she was artistic director at Primorsko Drama Theatre in Nova Gorica (PDG), dramaturg in Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL) and director of the Theatre and Dance Programme in Cankarjev dom Congress and Cultural Centre. She has been the artistic director of the Maribor Theatre Festival since 2009. As editor of the MGL Library, she published thirty books from the field of drama and theatre theory and history. She has taken part in various juries at local and international festivals. She was curator of the Slovenian Focus at the 7th Contemporary Drama Festival in Budapest and the curator of the Slovenian Focus at the 6th Contemporary Drama Festival in Bratislava. She is a member of the Slovenian Association of Translators, the vice-president of the national section of AICT/ IATC, as well as a member of ITI Slovenia and the Slovenian Association of Dramatic Artists. She is a recipient of the 2012 Glazer Credential for creative work in the domain of culture in the city of Maribor.

Ivo Svetina

Poet, playwright, essayist, and translator. He received his B. A. in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana. He has worked at TV Slovenia as dramaturg and editor in the Drama Programme, in Mladinsko Theatre as dramaturg and artistic director, and as undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture. Since 1998 he has been the director of the National Theatre Museum of Slovenia. He has published 28 collections of poetry, written numerous theatre plays, fairy tales as well as essays on poetry, theatre, and dramatic texts. He has received numerous awards and prizes for his work, among them the Golden Bird, the Prešeren Foundation Award, and several annual Grum Awards for best dramatic work.